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I am planning to start producing Aloe vera. Please tell me if it is profitable and about the market. I am from India.

Aloe vera grows native to Florida and Texas. It has been processed into lipoid form for almost 30 years (Terry Corp, Florida). I have not written on this crop previously, since those markets were readily supplied, and niche-oriented. While the market demand is large, processing facilities include cold press systems tend to be very expensive.

I had a friend try processing Aloe vera using his (large) carrot juicing operation, but found the filtering system required something beyond his resources. I would reconsider this as a cash crop from India, knowing what capital equipment is required for proper extraction.

Comfrey gel might be more feasible. It contains lysine and allantoin, essential amino acids that also work scar tissue (as lipoid gels from Aloe vera). It might even be marketed to the same user groups. Western Comfrey (in Canby, OR) has marketed these gel products for 30 years. I actually think comfrey is a better cash-crop from India. It is also used as an animal feed.

I know India does try to import Aloe vera. But, our domestic productions (from Terry Corp. and others) still remain the "best there is." All forms of cosmetics use it. I would say the same to comfrey, especially for topical application. It is my prediction that comfrey will again become one of the top selling crops, especially for burn and scar tissue regeneration.